Fireflies did not become a happy memory in the desert. He looked around and said, "I do have something I miss, but it's not a place. Do you remember when I told you that this kind of grass called 'grass weed' doesn't exist in the Central Plains, but it's everywhere in the desert?"
Xue Qing nodded: "Yes, I'm quite curious about what kind of grass it is."
Liu Ying took two steps, plucked a blade of grass from the ground, and handed it to Xue Qing: "Look, this is millet and weeds."
A fuzzy thing was atop the bare, slender grass stem. Wasn't this the kind of weed that you could always see in the fields in the countryside, commonly known as foxtail grass? Xue Qing used to play with it when she was a child. She said happily, "Do you know there are many ways to play with foxtail grass?" As she spoke, she picked a few more grass stalks and fiddled with them in her hands. In no time, she wove them into a grass rabbit and handed it to Liu Ying: "Look, isn't it cute?"
Liu Ying smiled and accepted it, about to put it in his backpack, but Xue Qing quickly stopped him: "Don't put it in your bag, there's already enough stuff in your bag, it's just a broken grass rabbit, throw it away."
Firefly still put it in: "You made this up."
Xue Qing's eyes crinkled with laughter as she took Liu Ying's arm and leaned against his shoulder: "In my hometown, every flower and plant has its own symbolic meaning. Do you know what millet and weeds symbolize?"
Liu Ying hugged Xue Qing close to her: "What does it symbolize?"
"I'll tell you when we get married," Xue Qing said, tapping Liu Ying's nose.
Under the dim yellow sunlight, two figures walked together on the desolate desert sand. In this life, with you by my side, what fear is there even if I have to venture into the tiger's den and cut through the thorns?
Author's Note: The cover was designed by Azhen. Guess where the character "是" (is/is) is?
guest
guest
Bai Xichen examined the poison on Nangong Luoluo's body and said, "Peacock Tea is a rare and potent poison with no antidote. Even I cannot concoct an antidote."
Yan Ming's murderous intent intensified: "You said you could save her."
“I can use other methods to detoxify without the antidote, such as the Inner Classic Meridian Guiding Method. This is the only way to save Miss Nangong, but it is very dangerous and rarely succeeds,” Bai Xichen said.
“Tell me, I’m willing to try anything to save her,” Yan Ming said urgently.
"This method requires a person with profound internal strength. I will use silver needles to fix her meridians, and then a person with profound internal strength will use their internal strength to expel the poison from her body. The person expelling the poison must have sufficient internal strength, otherwise they will not be able to shake the accumulated toxins."
"Do you think my internal strength is sufficient?" Yan Ming asked.
“Your internal strength is unparalleled in the world, so you are certainly capable of handling this task. However, there is one thing I must explain first: there are generally three possible outcomes when using this method. One is that both of you will be unharmed. The second is that Miss Nangong’s poison will be neutralized, and the poison will backfire into your body. The third is that both of you will die from poisoning. Do you still insist on saving her?” Bai Xichen asked expressionlessly.
"Save him." Yan Ming blurted out without even thinking.
Xue Qing and the others escaped from the prison on Qilin Mountain, but the martial arts world of the Central Plains did not become peaceful after their departure. Qiao Yijun had just recovered from his injuries when he was assassinated by a mysterious force. The various sects in the Central Plains shifted their search from Xue Qing and the others to the mysterious group of assassins. Because Qiao Yijun was seriously injured, Daoist Siyou, who had been in seclusion, had to come out of seclusion early. The sun in the Central Plains was as bright and hot as ever, but a trace of gloom had been added.
Under the same bright moon, everyone experiences different scenes. In the furnace room of Broken Sword Manor, Jian Wuming happily strokes the blade of the newly forged sword; Jian Wuxin sleeps, hugging his pillow, a lewd smile playing on his lips; Jian Wuyi takes out a book he found in a secret compartment in Jian Wuxin's room and flips through it, then burns it after blushing; Xi'er strokes the clivia planted in the flowerpot by her window, her gaze drifting to the distant lights of the furnace room. "He's not asleep," she thinks; on Kunlun Mountain, heavy snow falls, and Meng Yin and the Kunlun Palace Master... Qi brewed a pot of hot tea. Meng Yin drank the tea and said, "Senior brother, will Uncle Fan Cheng be happy if we do this?" "If we don't do this, will the fifty wronged souls of Kunlun Palace rest in peace?" said the Kunlun Palace Master. Abbess Dingni was preparing new medicine for Qiao Yijun's injuries. In Qing Ping Yue, Yi Chun lay on the bed staring blankly at the jade zither that was glistening in the moonlight. Young Master Shuang hadn't come for several days. Abbot Chankong and the little monk were staying at an inn. They were both sleeping soundly. "Abbess..." Abbot Chankong grinned. "Ginseng..." The little monk also grinned.
In the underworld, twin maids rushed in to report: "Master, Xue Qing of the Lingyu Sect is not dead. She has escaped from the prison. No sect in the Central Plains can find her. The Lord of Hell speculates that she has fled to the desert and asks you whether to send someone to capture her."
Yan Ming was busy detoxifying Nangong Luoluo and said impatiently, "Don't bother me with this kind of thing. Let Anluo find out about that force in the Central Plains that is not under our control."
"Yes!" the twin maids replied.
Bai Xichen filled the bathtub with hot water, which would help Nangong Luoluo's stiff body relax. He said, "This is all I can do. Whether it's a blessing or a curse, we'll leave it to fate." After saying that, he left the bath room and closed the door.
Yan Ming carried Nangong Luoluo into the hot water of the pool. Both of them were naked. Nangong Luoluo had hundreds of silver needles stuck in her body. Yan Ming leaned Nangong Luoluo against the stone wall of the bath, placed his palms against hers, and continuously poured his inner strength into her body.
“You’ve forgotten everything, that’s why you treat me like this,” Yan Ming sighed.
That year, the Underworld launched a night attack on the Nangong family. At that time, the Lord of the Underworld was Yan Ming's master. Yan Ming had only recently joined the Underworld. Amidst the flashing swords, the young Yan Ming was injured and fell in front of a large water vat. He thought he was going to die there, but unexpectedly, he was pulled behind the water vat to hide.
"You're bleeding, use this to bandage it," the young girl, two years younger than Yan Ming, said, pulling off her sleeve.
Yan Ming quickly realized that she was the daughter of the Nangong family head, the eldest daughter of the Nangong family, Nangong Luoluo. Her kindness warmed his icy heart. Yan Ming led her to escape. The entire Nangong family was wiped out, and only she survived.
"Thank you for saving me. What's your name? I'll definitely come looking for you in the future," Nangong Luoluo asked Yan Ming.
"My name is Yan Ming. You must come to find me." These were the last words Yan Ming said to Nangong Luoluo.
Nangong Luoluo doesn't remember her childhood, so naturally she won't remember her promise to Yan Ming. Therefore, she has never looked for Yan Ming. Yan Ming has three hatreds in his life: people who do things poorly, people who break their promises, and people who go against his wishes. So he hates Nangong Luoluo, wants to kill her but can't bring himself to do it. Only repeated rape can soothe his heart, even though he no longer knows whether that satisfaction comes from love or hate.
"Don't die!" Yan Ming said, sweat pouring down his face. His internal energy and the poison gas were locked in a fierce struggle, neither giving way to the other.
In the desert, silver is of little use. The people of the desert often have to migrate with the oases for water and food. Some people don't like to wander around and hoard raw water to raise cattle and sheep. Xue Qing and Liu Ying were lucky enough to find such a family to stay with. The family was a couple with a five-year-old daughter. They didn't accept silver, but seeing that the clothes Xue Qing and Liu Ying brought from the Central Plains were quite nice, they agreed to use the clothes as rent for the two to stay.
The homeowners went to the backyard to feed the sheep, while Xue Qing and Liu Ying stayed inside the house playing with the little girl.
“I thought the Central Plains had always been unfriendly to the Desert, and that the people of the Desert would also be hostile to the people of the Central Plains,” Xue Qing said.
“The desert is hostile to the Central Plains, so it will surely be gone once it sees this,” Liu Ying said, lifting the hilt of her sword. “Besides, getting two pieces of clothing is much better than fighting us to the death.”
The couple's daughter, Lingling, had just turned five. She tilted her head and looked at Xue Qing. Xue Qing noticed that Lingling was looking at the necklace around her neck, so she took off the necklace and waved it in front of Lingling: "Call me a fairy and I'll give it to you."
"Fairy," Lingling called out obediently, though her pronunciation was unclear.
Xue Qing happily placed the necklace in Lingling's hand. Liu Ying wrapped her arms around Xue Qing's waist from behind and whispered in Xue Qing's ear, "You like daughters? Let's have a daughter in the future."
"Would you two like to have roast lamb leg for dinner?" Lingling's mother asked, lifting the thick cotton curtain and poking her head into the room.
Fortunately, Xue Qing also practiced martial arts, and she quickly broke free from Liu Ying's embrace with agility. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she said nonchalantly, "Okay, we don't have any dietary restrictions."
Lingling was a quick-witted child. She skipped and hopped towards her mother, her little braids swaying as she called out, "Mom, add some more firewood to the stove. My brothers and sisters are huddled together because they're so cold."
The desert is all sand; it shouldn't be difficult to dig a hole and bury myself in it, Xue Qing thought.
The head of the household and his wife lit a fire in the courtyard and roasted a leg of lamb over it. The five people sat around the fire and didn't feel cold at all. Liu Ying took a small knife and cut some meat for Xue Qing to eat. Xue Qing picked up a piece of meat and gave it to Lingling. Lingling hopped around with the meat in her mouth, making Xue Qing laugh heartily. Looking at Xue Qing's smiling face, Liu Ying's lips also turned up slightly. She already had a blueprint for the future in her heart.
"Two guests, the Central Plains are a land of plenty, why have you come to this godforsaken place?" Lingling's mother asked.
"Uh, my master... my husband grew up in the desert and hasn't been back for many years. He misses it very much, so he came back to visit," Xue Qing said. Being a fugitive was not a respectable identity, so it was better to keep it hidden.